Alone
by Deandra
Summary: Eomer ponders his solitary life. ONESHOT.


**A/N: After reading this, you'll be able to tell what kind of mood I was in. Life was kind of getting to me, but I guess, if this is any indication, I still must hold out some hope that things will improve. At any rate, this is a stand-alone oneshot since it doesn't really seem to fit in with anything else I've written.**

**A/N2: I've been debating whether or not to take this past a oneshot, and while it could easily develop into a larger story, I'm just not feeling motivated or inspired to write anything beyond this. Maybe somewhere down the line I'll revisit it and feel inclined to do more, but for now - this is it. Not really sure where the idea came from but I suspect it is from rereading the last few chapters of Sache8's Love Comes Softly - the feelings she ascribes to Eomer.**

**Alone**

The King of Rohan drifted awake with a sigh. A glance at the window told him it was not yet daybreak, and after the dream from which he had just awakened his room felt even colder than usual.

Rolling onto his back, he crossed his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. Two months. Two very long months since Eowyn had wed and he had returned to Rohan alone. Up until that moment when he had entered Meduseld by himself, knowing Eowyn was largely gone from his day-to-day life, along with his beloved uncle and cousin, he had not felt the full weight of his new life. Now there was no escaping the fact that he was alone, completely alone.

True, his friends were still his friends. As much as they could, they tried not to treat him any differently, but public appearance meant accommodations had to be made. Only when they were in private could they relax with him, and those private times were fewer and farther between of late.

Eomer realized that he had spent virtually his entire adult life focused on little else besides warfare and the safety of his country. Almost from the moment he joined an eored at sixteen, that had been his sole focus. Yes, in the earlier years life had been easier and he had been able to have a bit of fun now and again, but as the darkness descended over Middle-earth, he had not felt able to spare much time for laughter or enjoying life. Too much hung in the balance and could be easily lost. At least then he had had Theodred and Eowyn. As the King gradually succumbed to the darkness, the three of them had clung together and fought to protect their home and their country in his stead.

Now all was changed. The darkness had been defeated, and Rohan was slowly recovering, but that victory had cost him most of the family he had left. Theoden and Theodred lost in the battle; Eowyn gone from him in marriage. He still mourned his deceased kin, and hardly a day went by that he didn't think of them and wish for their presence and guidance. They had been the ones expected to rule Rohan, not him. They had the training and experience, not him. In the earliest months after the war, Eomer didn't think he would have lasted had Eowyn not been at his side, encouraging him, assuring him he could face this challenge and do justice to his new calling.

_Eowyn._ She was happy now, happier than he ever remembered seeing her since before their parents died. He did not begrudge her that happiness, but still it tore at him that it had meant their separation. How could he do this alone?

His sister had hinted that perhaps it was time for him to find a wife for himself. The more he considered the notion, the more merit it seemed to have. He could hardly miss the blissful demeanor of Aragorn when he spoke of his beloved Arwen, and not until Faramir came along did Eomer ever think he had heard his sister actually giggle. Both of them now seemed complete in a way he did not fully comprehend.

It was not that he was averse to female company. Indeed, he thoroughly enjoyed the feasts and celebrations that entailed dancing with lovely ladies and drinking of good ale. And there had been much of both ever since the War of the Ring ended. But despite the many eligible maidens he had partnered on the dance floor, none struck a chord in him, none enticed him to know them better. It had become abundantly clear to him, ever since he was crowned king, that virtually every unmarried woman who ever managed to meet him was more than a little desirous to find favor with him. They simpered and fawned over him, flirting shamelessly in their efforts to win approval. Rather than exciting any interest in him, usually their attempts merely spawned a tension in his muscles and an earnest desire to escape them as soon as possible. He felt as a deer must when it knew hunters were on its trail.

With another heavy sigh, Eomer sat up and rubbed at his face. Why couldn't life be as simple and straightforward as dreams? At least three times he had had the same dream, last night being the most recent. There was a woman that he met, though he never heard a name, and she was different from all the rest. When she looked at him, she saw Eomer rather than a king. When she spoke, her voice was soft and her manner gentle, but he always sensed a strength in her that he readily admired. In these dreams, the two of them did various pleasurable things together – riding, talking, dancing. And always he awoke, without a name and a deep longing for this dream woman to come into his life.

Did she truly exist, and was this some sort of foresight? He had never experienced such a thing before, and was not entirely sure he believed in such things, but the dreams were so real…and more than anything, he very much wanted them to be true. He wanted her to be real and he wanted to find her.

With a growl of frustration, he rose and began to dress for the day. Dwelling on her would not bring her into his life, and at least for a brief time, in an occasional dream, he was not alone.

xxxxx

Eomer was enjoying the sun on his face, and being back in the saddle. The winter and his role as King meant too much time spent indoors, behind a desk. As Third Marshal, he could jump on Firefoot and take off across the broad plains just outside the walls of Edoras whenever he felt the need to be alone. Now, there was no such thing as being alone, unless he counted the prison of his bedchamber. Always there seemed to be people around him. If he left the city, he had to have an armed escort, as though he was incapable of defending himself. Gone were the days of just him and his horse, riding out in the open fields of the Riddermark, alone with his thoughts.

With the advent of spring, he had eagerly sought a reason to escape the walls of Meduseld. Eowyn was anxious to have him come see her new home in Emyn Arnen, and more than once his friend Imrahil had invited him to visit Dol Amroth. If his advisers had had their way, he'd still be trapped in his study, surrounded by parchment reports and listening to endless complaints on the most trivial of matters.

Fortunately, Gamling understood his plight and had helped him devise a reasonable excuse for this journey to Gondor. There were trade routes that needed establishing, with both Gondor and Dol Amroth. Because of the king's friendship with the rulers of each place, he was the natural one to open such discussions and begin negotiations. With the thought of trade, and thus boosts to the coffers of Edoras, the advisers had yielded to the wisdom of this excursion, and Eomer departed as quickly as possible before they could change their minds. Now he would be free of them for at least a month. With any luck, there would be much bad weather that would delay his return home as scheduled…

Plans were in place to stop first in Dol Amroth. The Rohirrim were riding the Dimholt route to determine what might be needed to make it a more viable road for travel and commerce between the two kingdoms. As Imrahil had need to go to Minas Tirith also, Eomer would visit his home for a sennight, and then the two of them would journey together to Emyn Arnen and on to Minas Tirith.

Eomer was looking forward to this visit immensely. He had never seen the sea before, so that was a new adventure in itself, but even more so he was eager to greet his good friends again. Both Imrahil and his sons had become beloved comrades as they fought together at Minas Tirith and the Black Gate. It would be good to see them all again, as well as meet the two family members with whom he had not yet had occasion to acquaint himself. Elphir, the heir of Imrahil, and Lothiriel, Imrahil's only daughter, had remained at Dol Amroth during the War to defend and protect their home in Imrahil's absence. Then Elphir's wife had been due to bear her second child at the time of Eowyn's wedding, so they both had remained in Dol Amroth with her. Eomer was certain he would find both of them as agreeable as the rest of their kin.

xxxxx

The sight of the palace of Dol Amroth, shining on a hill above the coastline was a stunning thing. Much like Edoras and Minas Tirith, it was readily seen from a distance and, like Minas Tirith, the walls of white stone made it shimmer in the sunlight. The Rohirrim party reached the palace gates in the early afternoon, and Eomer was warmly greeted by his friend and mentor, Imrahil. Once Eomer had washed away the dust of the road and removed his armor, the two men spent the afternoon sipping wine and catching up on news since they had last seen one another.

As the time for supper approached, they retired to their rooms to dress. Imrahil had arranged a small welcoming gathering of his family and a few local nobility, and as Eomer approached the dining hall, he mentally shifted back to his formal kingly mode from the casual friendliness he had earlier shared with Imrahil. All eyes turned toward him as he entered, and Eomer's gaze searched the room for his host. He found him coming toward him, a cordial smile on Imrahil's face.

Grasping Eomer by the hand, he drew him into the room turning to reveal a woman trailing behind him, "Eomer, allow me to introduce you to my daughter, Lothiriel."

As the king shifted his focus from the prince, his eyes fell on a breathtakingly familiar countenance. He knew this face well…he had seen it in his dreams.

THE END

11-17-05


End file.
